Even In Death
by Ladi Shad
Summary: Misora is the girl that everyone wants to protect. Gaara is the boy who everyone wants destroyed. When Gaara murders Misora's family, he leaves her alive for some unknown reason. When the Kazekage makes her Gaara's keeper, she wonders who loves a monster?
1. Chapter One: Stand Off!

_Even In Death Chapter One

I ran down the streets of the Hidden Sand, the crowds parting as I passed, as if they'd catch some incurable disease by touching me. I didn't take notice of this however; I was in too much of a hurry. My breath came in panting gasps, but I didn't slow for anything. If I was late, there would be worse punishment than short breath. I stopped at the gate to the village, placing my hands on her legs as I tried to catch her breath.

"It's about time you got here, brat. We were about to leave without you," A guy in a black suit said, arms crossed in annoyance. His face had lines of makeup, and a bundle was carried on his back. Kankuro. "Kankuro, be careful. Don't make him angry," A girl whispered to him, casting a nervous glance to where a redhead boy was standing a few feet away. The girl had sandy blonde hair tied into four ponytails. Temari. The boy, however, was different. He had red hair, hair that looked the color of blood to me, and a gourd of sand on his back. The kanji 'love' was tattooed on his forehead, as far out of place on his body as hatred would be on mine.

I bushed past Temari and Kankuro, and made my way to stand uncomfortably next to Gaara. I rubbed my arm, staring at the ground as Baki walked up, my heart beating fast from her fear. Its strange how you could spend two years with a person, and still fear their very presence whenever you see them, isn't it? I looked up to listen to Baki as he addressed the team, but I didn't listen. I may have a forehead protector around my neck, but I was no ninja. I was here to watch Gaara, despite my dream of being a ninja. My kind did not fight.

I didn't catch much of what was said, because I was watching the clouds move across the sky. I did hear something about the Chunin Exams, so I assume that's where they where going. The Village Hidden in the Leaf, for the Chunin Exams. "Well then, let's get going," Gaara said, and I started. I hadn't expected him to speak, as he is mostly quiet on missions. I took a closer look at him, studying his features carefully. He looked… off. I couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something about Gaara was wrong today. I should stay on my toes, just in case the Shukaku made an unwelcome appearance.

With his statement, Gaara began walking, and I stayed close in his shadow. I was probably the only person allowed anywhere near this close, though I didn't know why. Probably because he knew I was too weak to be any threat. The desert sand shifted under my feet, but Gaara and I didn't seem to have as much trouble as Kankuro, Temari and Baki. That wasn't all that weird, seeing as Gaara controlled sand, but what was strange was that he was helping me. He never showed any kindness to me before.

I took a bite of dried fruit, taking my time eating. Everyone, besides Gaara and I, was asleep. Of course, Gaara didn't sleep, so I had to stay up as long as possible to keep him in check, which made no sense. After all, if the Shukaku decided to kill someone, I couldn't very well stop it, could I? The silence was peaceful, and when simply sitting silently under the stars with Gaara, sometimes I had to wonder why everyone was so afraid of him. Then, of course, I remembered my family.

"Gaara… What do you think the Hidden Leaf Village will be like?" I asked quietly, looking at the ground, blushing slightly. I usually never really outwardly spoke to him unless it was absolutely necessary. I'd never been to the Leaf before though, and I was getting excite. Tomorrow evening or the next morning we were supposed to arrive. My stomach got butterflies just thinking about it. "It'll have a lot of trees, I suppose," Gaara said, and I peeked a look at him. He was looking at me, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking. I never could.

I looked back down, finishing the fruit. Why must I be kind to him? He killed my family, but I hadn't the strength to avenge them. It was pathetic, but I couldn't help it. When I looked at Gaara, I felt both fear and pity, something I shouldn't feel. Shouldn't I be angry, hate him even? While I was lost in my thoughts, Gaara had place a hand on my head, and now pushed my head down to lay on my pack which rested between us, my body laying down to follow my head. I moved my head to look up at him, his hand no longer touching me. "Sleep. I'll keep watch."

Walking through the gates of the Leaf Village, I was shocked at how different everything was. From the way the buildings looked to the way people greeted us as we passed, everything was strange. I took it all in, smiling to myself. I had never been outside the sand village before. I looked to Gaara, opening my mouth to say how he was right, the Leaf did have a lot of trees, when he vanished in a swirl of sand. I looked around, hoping to see him reappear anywhere near. "Gaara!" I called, but nothing. Of course, he wouldn't come out even if I called him. Why should he?

I began running down the street to look for him. If I lost him in an enemy village and he murdered someone, or worse, I'd be held responsible. One thing I didn't want to provoke was the wrath of the Kazekage, Which I would for sure if Gaara got out of hand. I ran swiftly around a tight corner, and bumped hard into something placed firmly in my path. I closed my eyes from the impact, and braced myself for a fall that never came. I opened my eyes, looking at the boy that had kept me from falling, the one I ran into.

He couldn't have been much older than me, despite the size difference. He was considerably taller, maybe an inch or two taller than Kankuro. He was slightly tanned with spiky brown hair, and had a goofy grin. "Well hello there, little girl," He said, releasing me. I could hear the smile in his voice, and it made me want to smile as well. I couldn't forget the insult in his words, though. I was just as old as him! Besides, he had a headband of the leaf, and I couldn't get attached, if I was to focus on the mission.

"I'm no little girl!" I objected, folding my arms. Unfortunately, though, I couldn't keep a blush from rising into my cheeks. The boy laughed a nice, full laugh that I rarely heard in the Kazekage's unhappy home. "I'm not! I'm thirteen," I protested, but he only answered with a disbelieving smile. "Sure, sure. I'm Shizu, by the way. What's your name?" He asked. He was nice, and I would have liked to stay and talk, but I had to find Gaara. "Misora. Now if you'll excuse me…" I said, trying to walk around him, my mission renewed in my mind. He reached out to grab my arm as I passed though, stopping me. "Wait, Misora! Do you want to come have lunch with me? My treat. That is, if you don't mind my team being there."

I looked up at him, mystified. Why would this leaf ninja, a mere stranger, invite a ninja from another village to have lunch with him and his team? I had no time to answer, because Shizu took my stunned silence as acceptance and took my hand, dragging me down the road. "Good! Let's go! You'll love my team, there's Nayumi, a medical ninja in training, and Kenji, but he's really stuck up. Don't worry though, I'm sure he'll love you, too!" Shizu said, sounding rather like a jay, with his endless chatter. I couldn't help but smile, though. Gaara never spoke to me, and everyone in the sand treated me like they treated him. It was nice to be wanted, if only for a little while.

He kept a hold of my hand until we stopped in front of a small restaurant, and I read the words Iraku's Ramen on the shop's sign. "Here we are! The best place in the Hidden Leaf to eat!" Shizu proudly proclaimed, ushering me in ahead of him. "Hey, Nayumi, Kenji, Meet my new friend, Misora," The only other two customers looked up. The girl was dark-looking, with almond colored skin and black hair tied up into a bun. The boy, on the other hand, had white hair, and was pale, his eyes coal black. There was no doubt he was albino. They must be Kenji and Nayumi.

"Shizu! How many times do I have to tell you not to pick up strays off the street?" The albino snapped, glaring angrily at my Sand headband that hung around my neck. "She's even from another Village! Really, Shizu, could you be any more idiotic?" My eyes fell to the floor at his scorn. He sounded too much like Kankuro, who also hated me. Shizu put an arm around my shoulders, glaring at the albino.

"Kenji! How could you be so mean? Just because she's a Sand shinobi doesn't mean we're better than her!" Shizu heroically protested. I have a feeling that he's going to be my favorite. As Shizu and Kenji began a heated argument on whether or not I was desert scum or not, the girl, Nayumi, looking apologetic, walked up to me. She grabbed my arm, whispering in my ear, "Come on, they'll be at this for about half an hour, if we're lucky."

We stood outside the shop, rather nervously on my part. "Sorry about that, they're always going at it. Their personalities clash to the extreme. Also, Shizu is always making friends with random strangers and dragging them around with us. You can understand how that can get annoying, don't you?" I looked up at the taller girl. Her big brown eyes did seem to be concerned with what I thought. Still, Somehow I just didn't trust her, despite her angelic looks. She was just off somehow, but it may just be my bad experiences with people.

I opened my mouth to answer, but the words never left my mouth, for Shizu came running out of the ramen shop, a furious Kenji right behind him. The brown-haired boy hid behind me, though I don't know why. I was no ninja. Still, he held me in front of him like a shield, and for the first time I noticed Kenji had a bloody nose. The argument must have gotten pretty heated. "Ahh! Misora, don't let him get me!" Shizu cried, looking shyly over my shoulder as Kenji pushed against me, reaching an arm over my shoulder to grab at the boy behind me.

"She can't save you, idiot!" He growled as I blushed furiously at my position squeezed tightly between two boys. I could have sworn I heard Nayumi mutter an, 'oh brother', but I would never tell, because two arms of sand threw Kenji and Shizu off of me, throwing each boy in a different direction. I looked up in a panic, though I already knew who it was. As sure as the sand that now settled at my feet, Gaara stood not far away.

"Stay away from Misora," He said, though he looked utterly emotionless, "Or I'll kill you," He turned slightly then, looking at me. "Misora. Are you done fooling around with these worthless Leaf idiots?" He asked me, and I gave him a panicked nod. I didn't want my new friends to be hurt, just because I upset Gaara. "Y-yes Gaara! I'm sorry, I was looking for you, and then…" I let my voice trail away when he gave me a glare, one that was subtle, but I know what it meant. I began to walk over to Gaara with my face tilted to the ground, but Shizu stepped in my way, crossing his arms.

"Hold on a sec! You have no right to tell her what to do! She can stay if she wants to, she doesn't have to leave just because you tell her to," He said, and I dared to take a glance at him. He was determined, and I appreciated that. I couldn't let him stand between me and Gaara, though. I don't fully understand the Shukaku, but what I believe is that the one-tail sees me as his property. That's why he kept me so close, why he never let anyone else so much as look cross-eyed at me. I may be wrong, but this is as much as I tried to understand.

"Shizu... It's alright. I want to go with Gaara," I said, looking to Gaara to gauge his reaction to all this. I didn't want him to kill Shizu. As usual, I could not gauge his reaction, but for some reason, Gaara's gaze was trained on me, not Shizu. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad, though. "Are you sure, Misora? You don't have to if you don't want to," Shizu insisted, grabbing my arm. I looked to the other two, and then him. I could see that Shizu wanted me to stay, and the other two... they wouldn't mind it. I looked to Gaara. His sand was moving restlessly, and his gaze was now fixated on Shizu.

I yanked my arm out of Shizu's grasp, noticing with a sinking heart that he looked hurt from the gesture. I'm sorry Shizu, I silently apologized, and I began walking towards Gaara. "Shizu, I said I wanted to go with him, didn't I?" Even I flinched at my harsh tone. Still, I couldn't allow my only friend to be killed by Gaara, no matter what. I stood by Gaara, but now I felt something different. Before, I was just waiting to for him to kill me, but now… Now it felt like I had something to live for. I had friends!

Hello wonderful readers! Please excuse this note if it looks like crap, which it probably will. I still have problems getting this up. So, first off, I do not own Naruto, or any characters from Naruto. I do however own Misora, Shizu, Kenji, and Nayumi. Oh, and Read and Reveiw! Or you will have to wait even longer for me to update this story! I do have excuses for the late update, by the way. Look forward to some awesome stuff from me and my sis, TeamIDontCare. So, unless you review and give me Muse for this story, i shall contenue to work one not-nearly-done chapters for later stories, and you will have to wait forever. And you don't want that, do you? 


	2. Chapter Two: Shizu and the Leaf Village!

**Please, please, please don't kill me! At least I finally updated! I have a long list of excuses, but I won't bore you with details. Also, in the next few chapters you'll see me switch to third person, instead of first. Review with whichever you like better, and that's the one I'll write with. *I do not own Naruto. Wish I did, but I don't***

I stood down the street from where Gaara, Temari and Kankuro where talking to some kids. Tree where Genin, but they didn't look too tough, except for the black-haired one. I was nervous with the atmosphere being so charged. I felt that Gaara was growing more agitated with every unexpected meeting. Was the Shukaku trying to take over again? That couldn't happen, not yet, anyways. Finally, the sand siblings began to walk back. I allowed myself to relax slightly, glad Gaara hadn't decided to kill anyone.

As they passed, I began to walk with them in silence, sticking close to Gaara. Really, closer than I should, but I was now very nervous about this Village. Random strangers that take you out to lunch and act like your best friend, and little kids that pick fights with Jonin-level ninja? It was very different than the Sand, truly. I tried to block out Kankuro's angry mumbling about rude brats. I looked back at him, and he glared at me in return. He never liked me.

I looked back forward as we entered an inn, where Baki waited in the lobby. He gave room keys to Temari and Kankuro, but I zoned out of the conversation. After all, I wasn't participating in the exams. Instead, I watched Gaara and the other visitors. Nothing out of the ordinary, really. Only, some strange sound ninja seemed unnecessarily interested in Gaara and his siblings. When I looked closer, though, they where never looking in our direction. Always somewhere else. It was very strange. I'd have to watch them closely, to make sure they didn't compromise the mission.

"Misora? What's your report?" I looked up when Baki spoke directly to me, I hadn't noticed that he was trying to get my attention. "I'm sorry, what?" I asked, noticing that the team was gone. After so long of tagging closely behind Gaara, it made me nervous to not have him in my sight. "You went looking for Gaara earlier. Did anything happen?" Baki repeated, and I blushed slightly, remembering my friends from earlier. "No, Baki-sama. Nothing out of the ordinary," I answered, deciding to keep my suspicions to myself. Who would listen to me, anyways? Gaara seemed completely normal.

"Very well. You may do as you wish in the Village for awhile. I'll keep an eye on Gaara. Just be back before six," He said, giving me a slight smile. I simply nodded, turning to go. Why did I have the feeling that Baki, of all people, felt sorry for me? As I walked out of the inn, I kept my eyes open for Shizu and his teammates, though I wasn't sure if they'd even forgive me. Still, I had to try and explain. The longer I walked, though, the guiltier I felt about abandoning my first real friends since my family died. Even if it was to save them, I couldn't help but feel that I had been harsher than I should have. Was I?

I turned down a different street, changing my course from the ramen shop. I couldn't face them, not now. Still, something plagued me, even now... Why did I choose Gaara over them? True, I kept telling myself that I didn't want Gaara to kill them, but could I have loyalty towards Gaara? Was it even possible, after so much the jinchuriki put me through? I stopped, shaking my head as I held it. It was all so confusing. I looked up, for the first time noticing that I was alone, in a simple grassy stretch of land next to a river. The city noise continued behind me, and I noticed that I had walked down a flight of stairs to come here.

I sat on the bank, removing my sandals. Sticking my bare feet into the river, I reveled in the feel of the cool water rushing by my feet. In the desert, we didn't have enough water to squander it like this, and I was glad that the Leaf did. The cool water felt nice, I must admit. I closed my eyes as I slowly moved my legs as if I was swimming, a smile creeping across my face. Birds chirped, and the wind moved through the leaves making quiet rustling noises. It was really perfect, the noises and sights here where soft and peaceful, unlike the hard, harsh landscape of the desert.

I laid on my back, leaving my feet still in the burbling waters. I watched the clouds moving slowly across the sky, making their own pace. How is it that when people hurry through life, nature takes its sweet time? I giggled, wondering at my random direction of thought. It didn't even make any sense. I closed my eyes, just listening to the random noises of the Leaf Village. The noise of people hurrying through the market combined with the sounds of the forest was truly music, music unlike any other. So peaceful…

When I next opened my eyes, it was dark, but I didn't hear the sound of rushing water, or even feel moving air. I was no longer near the river, of course, but I didn't know where I was. I was laying on something soft, and I was swathed in warmth. The sounds of soft breathing came from my right, and when I looked over, I saw the dim outline of another bed, with someone in it. I sat up, moving to place my feet on the floor as I rubbed my eyes. My hand searched for a lamp, and as soon as I found one, it was lit. The figure in the other bed was Temari. They must have found me and brought me back to the inn, then.

I stood, moving quietly to the window. It's not like I could go back to sleep, so I might as well continue my duty as the jinchuriki's keeper. I slid the window open quietly, hoping not to wake up Temari. I leaned out the window and reached up, grabbing onto the edge of the roof. Pulling up, I threw my leg over the side of the roof, and successfully pulled myself unto the rooftop. Crawling along the roof, I kept my eyes open for Gaara, or maybe a Leaf Anbu. I saw Gaara standing further down the roof, and I made my way toward him. He was looking down at the few people still up at this hour. That is, I assumed it was late. I didn't really know what time it was.

"Hi, Gaara," I said, and as quiet as my voice is, he looked back. "You're awake," He merely commented, and I nodded as he went back to people-watching. I sat beside him, looking down at the street. Instead of watching the drunken men loudly laughing about, though, I occupied my time by watching moths fly busily around a lamp hanging by a random door. I looked at him, wondering if he really was only the Shukaku, or if there was really a person still there, but so brutally mauled by the hate villagers gave him that he was warped beyond recognition. I know that I've been different ever since my family died. He caught me staring at him, and moved to catch my eye as I looked away blushing. "What is it?" He asked, still watching me.

"Well... I was wondering if he was bothering you?" I said, knowing that Gaara of all people would know who _he_ was. I was afraid to ask, and with good reason, but it slipped out. A blur swung through the air, stopping right before it hit my face. I stared at Gaara's hand as it slowly lowered, as my heart began to race. His cold, deadly eyes turn to look at her, and her eyes began to widen as he gripped her wrist rather tightly. He himself had crossed the line that they had drawn together, one of the few unspoken laws between them, keeping her alive. She must never, ever touch him, for fear of her own survival. But one thing surprised her more than his grip did. One would think that a monster such as Gaara would have skin as cold as his heart. His skin was warm, though, and soft, like any other normal person's skin would be.

Entranced, Misora reached over and put her own hand over his, confirming that his hand was indeed human. It surprised her. How could someone so evil, who so enjoys killing be human? "Why to you wish to know?" Misora looked up in surprised, blushing. Her other hand was still resting over Gaara's when he spoke. She moved her hand so that her arm was wrapped around her stomach. _I wish the butterflies would leave, I don't need fear... not in a time like this..._ She thought as she looked down at her lap. "Well... I…" She paused, wondering exactly just how to explain it when she wasn't even sure herself. "I guess I don't like to see it when it hurts you," The tight pressure on her arm released as Gaara stood, leaving Misora looking up at him.

"Don't worry about me, Misora," He said simply as he disappeared in his sand, and Misora wondered why he didn't kill her. He had even seemed as if he had feelings, the way he spoke to her. Was it possible that people where wrong? Did Gaara have a heart, or not? What if he was human, underneath the calloused stares that everyone gave him?


	3. Chapter Three: Chunin Exams Begin!

**Yes, well, I want to give a little shout out to Yellowmittens, the creator of the great review that gave me so much muse for this story. Here's a cookie for you, mittens! The rest of you… go give her(or him) a hug, because I am gunna be updating a lot more now! On another note, I was doing my usual bad habit of dropping current chapters to write the future of the story, and… well, let's just say that this is the best love-triangle idea I've had in a long time, and I'll be attempting to update like crazy to get there. You guys will love it, I guarantee.**

**Again, I do NOT own Naruto. If I did, Gaara would be the main character, not Naruto. Or, you know, Itachi, cuz he's just so SMEXY.**

Even In Death Chapter Three

Misora shook her blonde roommate's shoulder, doing her best to wake her up. "Come on, Temari-Chan, or you'll be late for the first exam!" She said, starting to panic. It was her job to get Temari out of bed, what would Gaara and Kankuro do if they where late because of her? Then she had a deviously good idea. She leaned in close to her adopted sister's ear, whispering, "Temari… Gaara-Senpai says he's going to kill you if you're not up soon," She had to giggle as the Kinoichi jumped up and began to get ready. Meanwhile, Misora snuck out of the room quietly to wait down in the lobby of the inn with the rest of the team. Temari wouldn't take long now, anyway. "Good morning, Kankuro, Baki-Sensei, Gaara-Senpai," She greeted as she walked up to the silent group.

"Good morning, Misora. I hope you are well-rested today," Baki said, hinting that, while she was not in trouble for yesterday, if it happened again she would be harshly reprimanded. Gaara simply gave her a long, silent look, and Kankuro simply sneered at her, as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for the nervous atmosphere surrounding them. All wondered if they would pass, and more importantly, would Gaara snap? Temari came down the stairs, in a hurry. "Alright, I'm ready, so let's go already!" She said, hoping that Gaara wouldn't remember his threat, though he had made none. "Alright, let's go."

The room that they entered was spacious and crowded. Ninja from all nations where here to prove that they where better than their peers, and earn the Chunin rank. The sand team sat at a table alone, returning the glares they received, except for Misora, who stood rubbing her arm awkwardly. After awhile, she should have been used to tense, dangerous atmospheres, but in truth, she felt safer when she was trying to calm Gaara down. She allowed her eyes to wander, wondering if she knew anyone here, or if Shizu and his team where taking the exams. It was probably best if they weren't, because it was too good a chance that one of them would be put up to battle Gaara. She, of all people, knew all too well the end of that battle.

The sound of the door opening caused her to look up, and her heart sunk. Shizu, Kenji, and Nayumi walked in, and it was somewhat amusing to see. Shizu was his joking self, arguing with Kenji about something. Nayumi looked like she was ready to bust a blood vessel. Misora watched them for a bit, until Shizu noticed her. He waved, motioning for her to come over. She hesitated only a moment before she made her way over, feeling Gaara's steady gaze drill into her back. "Misora! You're taking the Chunin exams too?" Shizu cheerfully asked.

"Well, I-"

"Of course she is, Shizu. She's here, isn't she? Could you please stop asking stupid questions?" Kenji interrupted, glaring at his teammate. Shizu opened his mouth to argue, but Misora interrupted, "Actually, I'm not. I'm just here to watch," Shizu sent a triumphant look at Kenji as he put an arm around her shoulder. "Well, that's good! I won't have to worry about beating you, then!" He laughed, and Misora had to smile. She was so glad that he didn't hate her. His bright personality was like the sun, an addictive quality after being starved of affection for so long. He suddenly turned serious, and grabbed her shoulders, making her look straight into his eyes. "But… Misora, that guy Gaara, he can't be good. Be careful around him, ok? If he ever hurts you, remember that you always have us. We'll never let anything happen to you, alright?"

She looked down, blushing. She liked that someone was so concerned for her safety, but it was dangerous for them. "Shizu… Don't worry about it. I couldn't stay away from him if I wanted to. I gotta go," She said quickly, not liking the sudden intensity. She pulled out of her friend's grasp, hurrying back to stand by Gaara. She noticed that he was staring at her, but she tried her best to ignore it. Like that stare didn't cause her blood to spike with adrenaline from her fear. "Misora. Sit," Misora sat on command, blushing at the fact that she did so, like nothing more than a trained dog. Though… that might be all Gaara saw her as. She saw him staring at Shizu once she sat next to him, and she hoped that he wasn't going to try anything.

"Gaara, I'm sorry," She said, not really sure what else to say. Really, she wasn't even sure what she was apologizing for. Still, with Gaara, things where better safe than sorry. He looked towards her emotionlessly, making the hair on the back of her neck raise. Had she said something wrong? She looked down at her hands, nervous. However, Gaara did nothing but look past her towards the door. Following his gaze, Misora noticed the kids from yesterday. The blonde boy, the dark boy, and the pink-haired girl. They where talking to a large group of other kids, and she assumed that they where all friends. They where actually rather loud, but she couldn't hear their words from this distance.

Looking at Gaara, she had to wonder why he was so interested in this Konoha team. They where just a bunch of kids, nothing special. Was he targeting them? No… couldn't be, otherwise they would already be dead. What was it then? Misora's thoughts where interrupted suddenly by a high keening sound, and she looked back at the group as she covered her ears. A fight between the sound ninja she had seen at the inn and the Konoha genin had broken out. It sparked Gaara's interest, Misora knew, as the boy stiffened beside her, eyes fixated on the brawl. That is, until a cloud of smoke appeared, along with a proctor to stop the fighting.

Misora tuned out the talking again. It wasn't mean for her, but the ones taking the exams. She wouldn't even be going in, just waiting outside. Looking down, I allowed a moment of sadness. Because of her position in the Village, she'd never be able to be a ninja, to take the Chunin exams. Or anything else, for that matter. So when all the Genin rose, she remained sitting. She looked after the three sand Genin, supposed to be her adopted siblings. Only she and the Kazekage knew the truth, that she was never adopted. She never knew why, but that was the way it was.

The ninja filed into another room for the written exam as she remained, waiting for either the test to end, or for Gaara to snap. Hopefully the first, for fear of discovery. After all, if Gaara killed someone, she'd be responsible as well, for not keeping him. With a jolt, Misora realized that that wasn't the only reason she wanted him to keep from killing others. Since last night, she had begun to harbor the thought that maybe, just maybe, Gaara wasn't as bad as everyone said he was. With a blush, the soft-spoken girl buried the thought, settling in for a long wait.

Misora looked up at the sound of voices approaching. The blonde Genin was coming out, speaking rather loudly of his success. Looking past them, Misora saw first her Leaf friends, Shizu, Kenji and Nayumi and behind them came the Sand siblings. For a moment, Misora was torn between congratulate her friends or to fall in behind the Sand trio. Shizu jumped forward, grabbing her hands before she could really react, subtly giving her a piece of paper. "Misora, we got past the first exam! Awesome, right?" He exclaimed, smiling, and Misora couldn't help but smile back. "That's wonderful, Shizu. Congratulations," For a moment, things where perfect, Misora didn't have to live under Gaara's shadow, she had friends, and was a normal person like any other.

"Misora, let's go," Gaara said, and the girl turned, fear seeping in again. "Y-yes Gaara," She said quickly, worried again for her friend's life. She took her hands from his, turning back to Gaara, who alone had stayed behind. She shoved the paper into her pocket, falling in beside Gaara. As he led her from the exam building, Misora began to notice the absence of Kankuro and Temari, and grew nervous of just where they where going. She followed him loyally through the streets, the unnerving butterflies in her stomach rising uncomfortably. He led her down a deserted street, and then turned down another, before stopping to face her in an empty playground. They stood in silence, neither breaking it, as Gaara unemotionally studied his keeper. All too suddenly, Sand flashed out to grip Misora, tightly wrapping her in a secure, deadly embrace. She cried out, though her feeble struggles, she knew, wouldn't save her.

Gaara walked forward, his jade eyes now menacing where before they where simply empty. "You will no longer see that Leaf idiot Shizu. You are mine, Misora. No one else can touch you," He said, allowing his sand to tighten painfully around her until the tears flowed freely from her eyes. The sand slackened greatly then, and when Misora looked up to Gaara then, it wasn't menace, nor even cold indifference that colored his face. As his hand reached out, touching gently the warm tears that lingered on her cheeks, Misora couldn't help but believe that he seemed deeply, immeasurably sad. For some reason unbeknownst to her, it hurt her deeply to know that she had hurt him enough to make his mask slip, yet how could she abandon her first true friends? Gaara's sand let her go suddenly and without warning, and she fell to her knees. Wrapping her arms around her, she looked up at the redheaded menace, who now had his back turned coldly to her. "If you see Shizu again, I will kill them all," He said, before disappearing into a swirl of sand, leaving her sad and alone.

**Yes, really short chapter, but I reached this point and felt it was done, and you don't mess with feelings. Anywho, not as good as the last chapter, but I'm just warming up for the rest of the exams ;3**


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